Stress Cracks in Taillights
 

Anyone notice stress cracks in their tail lights? I have a small stress crack in the clear area of one of my tail lights with no visible signs of anything hitting it and it is garaged and I do not take the car anywhere where it sits for awhile. There are no chips or anything around the area and i asked the dealer about it and they said corporate told them NO on replacing it. I have not made a big deal about it, but was curious if anyone else has had these? If it was my dealership, i would just replace it, as it is still under warranty.


2011 Premium GT, 400A, MT82, Airaid CAI, JLT Oil Separator, BMR Panhard bar, GT500 axle-backs.

If they said NO like that chances are the dealer has seen it before. They probably replaced them for someone else and Ford denied the warranty claim leaving the dealer stuck with the bill. Maybe PM Deysha and post a few quality pictures. The worst they can say is NO again...

Hello Kgilly,

I’d like to escalate this to the customer service manager for your area. Please make an appointment and PM me with your VIN, dealer, mileage, full name, and best daytime number so I can help.

Thanks for the support, 14Glassback!

Deysha

Problem is once any dealer says NO and enters the info in the system, every dealer in the country knows it has already been rejected so finding another dealer willing to help you will be difficult. Deysha is your best bet.

Thanks guys, i just PM'd Deysha so we'll see what transpires. Not sure about just calling the Ford dealer and making an appointment to say Ford customer service is going to take care of the issue, until i hear back from Deysha.

pics?

Not true.
Only Ford knows about a claim "attempt" until it becomes an actual warranty repair, which then shows up on the OASIS report that every dealer has access to.

And if the dealer never took pictures and submitted them to Ford, just said "No" on their own, then a phone call to the Service Manager is in order.

As a Service Advisor for another manufacturer... I have had situations like this before. There is a car under warranty with what you consider a legitimate warranty repair. (I say legitimate not seeing pictures yet Kgilly... Taking your word there is no impact damage) But corporate will not authorize the claim. Tough telling someone "No" in that situation. Hopefully Deysha can get you some help if so deserved. Thanks Deysha... You are Awesome!

Can a brotha get a pic?!?!

On my 2010 Mustang I seen the same type of stress crack you are describing in the back-up lamp section of the taillamp on the left side and i know it was never there before. So you are not the only one.

I will get some pics by this weekend and post them. The dealer took about 5-6 pics and supposedly mailed them to corporate.

Thanks, Kgilly. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Thank you and you’re very welcome, 14Glassback!


Deysha

Pics of the stress cracks
 

Here are the pics of the stress cracks. They are as good as i can get them.

Yep those were the same cracks i was getting.

Dang, I'll have to check mine.

It could be related to the body flexing, especially when I pull out of my garage and I have to drive over the asphalt edge that our borough poured a few years back and now the alley way is higher than my garage floor. When I pulll out and turn you can hear the body flexing and creaking.

If it was due to flexing....all cars would have similar problems. None of the roads are worth cheap plus think of the flex from racing.... Hard to say what it could be....must check mine.

Probably made in China....lol

So I PM'd Deysha a couple weeks back concerning this issue and my local Ford dealer called me and said they would cover half the cost of replacement for the tail light. For the cost I think I can get new lights for both sides. The dealer said my cost would be around $200 for a replacement lens. I also have to take it back again a 2nd time now for replacement of the vent tube on the rear axle. So I will make a decision soon. Maybe I will just pay for half the cost and replace it myself, they didn't mention how much labor would be?

for 200 you can get a nice set of aftermarket or a used set off ebay or even a 2013 set.